History of Us: Among Friends
by ajremix
Summary: History of Us Arc, post Mega Man 8. Every ending has a beginning, the prelude to the apocolypse, the moment everything falls apart and no one has the strength to hold on to the pieces. Crash, Elec, Metal, Quick, Ring, Shadow
1. First: Fraying

Among Friends First: Fraying  
  
by Lady Virgo  
"Don't become afraid of the unknown. Don't become comforted by the routine."  
  
///  
  
With a practiced pull of his wrist, Ring pulled the receiver from his ear, one hand typing on the computer as he checked the readouts. The input wire that connected to the back of the med consol coiled on the floor by his feet before it looped lazily by the examination table, snaking up to where Crash sat, facing his friend. The small panel on the back of his neck was popped open, the cable connecting to the small of his neck- blipping methodically as it transferred information to the computer.  
  
"It's nothing serious." Ring said, scrolling over the chart. "Just a small chemical imbalance, nothing we need to worry about at the moment."  
  
"I know it's not that bad." The older robot said, swinging his feet somewhat childishly. "I just don't want it to get /that/ /bad/ again." He emphasized the statement with a bit of a scowl. Ring groaned good naturally.  
  
"I don't really think /anyone/ wants it to get that bad again." He smiled reassuringly at Crash before he reached around and unhooked the connection. "Stronger dose?"  
  
The orange robot jumped to his feet. "Nah." He grinned. "Just a refill should be fine. I'll come back if it gets any worse."  
  
"You do that." Ring's eyes suddenly became worried. "You know, I could check your output generator. See what it is that's making these imbalances and see if I can't stop it."  
  
"No worries, Ring-o." He took a deep breath, doing a couple of stretches to prove that he was perfectly healthy- despite the fact that it wasn't a matter of physical health. "You took a Gel sample and it came out negative. Obviously it's not that big of a problem."  
  
"It's not now. But the readouts we got when-"  
  
"C'mon!" Crash was practically jogging in place. He never really did like being in medbay. "So long as I keep my levels down, it won't effect my performance or have to go through that crap again." He waved at Ring as he headed out the doors. "I'll see you later! Me an' Quick are meeting for lunch, come and join us!"  
  
Ring huffed, watching as the doors slid closed. "Honestly...."  
  
///  
  
He tried to expel all his frustrations in a long, slow breath. It didn't quite work, but it worked some of the tension out of his shoulders. He knew that Quick didn't understand why he did this, would never truly understand it.  
  
Sometimes, he wondered why he was doing it himself.  
  
As he turned the corner along the stretch of hall, he passed Pharaoh who witnessed the event with crossed arms and closed expression.  
  
"You're a natural bastard."  
  
"Am I supposed to be flattered?"  
  
Pushing away from the wall, Pharaoh looked at him with cool gold eyes. "I'm beginning to wonder if you actually have any feelings at all."  
  
"Does it matter to you?"  
  
"If this were a different situation...."  
  
His lips pulled back in a bit of a snarl. "I don't care for your little power struggles, Pharaoh. Don't think I'm doing this for you or Wily."  
  
"Then why are you doing this?"  
  
"For the same reason you are."  
  
///  
  
Let it be known that Crash was never a very patient person. He's one of those sorts that would go to an appointment late just so that he wouldn't be waiting. Though surprising shy and mild mannered, if left alone without something- anything -to grab his attention, or kept waiting, he would become irritable and annoyingly hyperactive. If there could ever be an artificial being with ADHD, he would be the original.  
  
He was moving around the tables, talking to others in an almost dizzying pace. When he got bored and annoyed, his extrovertedness would be off the charts. And waiting for both his brother and his food made it doubly so.  
  
By the time Quick was ten minutes late, Crash was literally bouncing on some of the seats in the mess hall.  
  
"Stop that." Elec said forcefully, pulling Crash to sit properly in his seat.  
  
"Ergh! I can't help it!" Despite now being in a sitting position, Crash bounced under Elec's restraining hand. "I'm bored~! I wanna eat~!"  
  
"Then eat. No one's stopping you." It was bad enough that Elec had to wait for Metal as it was, but being stuck with this hyperactive idiot? Elec sighed. Okay, so maybe he was a hyperactive idiot only half the time. The rest of the time he was just an idiot.  
  
"Why don't /you/ eat?" Crash sneered back. He liked Elec, he was the role model, really. For people that actually had any sort of self- restraint but weren't completely anal as some of the more conservative Robot Masters. The only thing was, Crash really didn't care to become someone like Elec and therefore would get annoyed for not being able to freely complain- seeing as he only complained to those he felt comfortable around, anyway.  
  
"I already ate."  
  
"Oh." Amazingly, that succeeded in stilling Crash for a minute. And after which, he went right on back to bouncing impatiently.  
  
Elec tried to hold back an exasperated sigh- and didn't exactly succeed. "Why don't you go look for him if you're so bored?"  
  
"But what if he comes in after I leave? Then he'll look for me and we'll be playing some sort of grand scale, impromptu game of hide and seek!"  
  
"But you wouldn't be giving me a headache. Besides," Elec pointed out, "if you're so worried about that, just go to a comm unit and call for him on the PA system."  
  
Crash stopped. Crash thought. Crash decided that he didn't like Elec's brand of logic. "Nah~. He'll have to come sometime. Even Quick needs to replenish energy."  
  
"With as much as he eats, he wouldn't need to come in here for at least two days before his reserves would begin to run out." Elec eyed the younger robot a bit warily. "Unless he decides to run for those entire two days."  
  
Sulking, Crash kicked his legs childishly and pouted. "Man, where is he?" He looked up expectantly as the doors to the mess hall opened. However, all it revealed was Ring. Ah well, Crash decided, at least it was someone he was close to. "Oi!" He called out, waving his hands energetically. "Ring!"  
  
He looked up at the sound of his name, smiling a bit at the sight of the two blondes indicating for him to join them. However, as he approached, his appearance began to show signs of wear and weariness. Elec's brow knotted in concern.  
  
"What's wrong, Ring?"  
  
The Russian-made robot looked up for a second before looking down at the table as he sat. "Crash." His voice was rough.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Quick's not coming for lunch."  
  
Concerned and a little scared, he and Elec exchanged glances. "Why? What happened?"  
  
"I found him in the hall by the quarters. It looked like he was just coming down the hall." He looked up, a familiar disgust in his green eyes. "From what I can see, he met Shadow on the way."  
  
"Oh no...." Crash put a hand over his eyes and Elec groaned. "Did he say what happened?"  
  
Ring shook his head. "No. Just said that he wanted to be alone." Ring clenched his fist, repulsing the urge to pound it against the tabletop and draw attention to them. More attention then they already got, anyway. He knew that Magnet and the Enforcers were watching them. And any sign that something bad was going on in their group just meant more power to him.  
  
"How long ago was this?"  
  
"About ten minutes." He cupped a hand over his mouth, trying to mask his anger. "We'll give him half an hour. He should've pulled himself together enough by then to tell us what happened this time."  
  
After that, they sat in silence. A few minutes had passed and Elec excused himself, going to do whatever it was he deemed necessary, leaving Crash and Ring alone. With a heavy sigh, Crash hung his head, trying not to get emotionally torn up over the recent turn of events. Taking a quick peek at Ring, he saw the younger bioroid's body tense like a archer's bow, waiting to be released. Or to break.  
  
Turning his head away to dispel the thought, Crash sat in silence, impatiently counting the minutes until he could see his brother.  
  
///  
  
By the time they finally went to see Quick, he had, indeed pulled himself together. Which just left one to wonder if there was a limit on how broken hearted one person could get. He was sitting at the head of his bed, arms tight around his knees, cheek cushioned as he stared blankly at the wall. Dried tears were on his cheeks and made his eyes red. Face drawn and pale, he didn't make a move as the doors opened.  
  
Crash and Ring exchanged glances. For a moment they just stood there, wondering which approach would be the best to use this time around. Crash took a step forward, indicating he would take care of it and Ring turned away to keep Quick from seeing the rage in his expression.  
  
"Quick!" Crash cried out happily, wrapping his older brother in a tight hug. "I was wondering where you were!"  
  
"Oh, Crash." He turned, the enthusiasm was forced in his voice though the surprise wasn't entirely. Quick rubbed his arm across his eyes, smiling. "Sorry I couldn't make it to lunch."  
  
"You should be! I was starving and I barely even had a thing to eat 'cause I was so mad at you!" He playfully punched Quick in the arm. But warning bells were going off in his head as he played along. His 'encounters' with Shadow always took a toll on him, and the more nonchalant he acted about the whole thing, the more the particular encounter hurt. And the less inclined Quick was to talk about it, no matter how much time had passed.  
  
And this seemed to be happening more and more often these days. It was beginning to make Crash worry on how much more Quick would be able to take before he broke. And how much Ring was willing to let him suffer before /he/ broke.  
  
Crash wondered if he would have to be the one to keep them together. And just how many pieces he'd be able to pick up before he would no longer be able to hold any at all.  
  
///  
  
Such insolence, Wily snarled in his thoughts. He couldn't let them get away with this. Any of them. They were his creations, he made them, he gave them life and they dared to defy him? He was their God. They were his lambs and they dared to spit in his face with the very wills he gave to them?  
  
They must be punished. All of them.  
  
And since the usual methods didn't seem to be stopping them, things would just have to get much harsher around here....  
  
Wily reviewed the reports on those that he had shadowed. Nothing that would- superficially -warrant special attention, or an example being made out of. But he knew they were planning something on the backside, where he and his moles couldn't see. They had become more careful, more selective on those they discussed things with after the incident with Tengu. But it didn't make a difference. He was, after all, God. And he saw everything.  
  
On his main computer, he brought up the list of 'rebels'. He wasn't stupid enough to realize that it had grown steadily over the years, those he could trust now seriously outnumbered by his paranoia, but he would keep them in check with fear. Because fear was the only way to truly be obeyed.  
  
"Magnet." He said into the intercom, typing away on the computer. "Come here. I have new orders for you and the Enforcers." After a pause, he deliberated and then grinned. "And some of the others if they feel so inclined...." 


	2. Second: Possession

Among Friends Second: Possession  
  
by Lady Virgo  
  
"The world changes  
and those that  
refuse this change  
fades."  
  
///  
  
Once upon a time there was a brilliant young man born in poverty and brought up as a genius. One day this young man became an old man whose ideological dream for the world twisted into some deranged vision of oppression and total control under the veil of peace. Somewhere along the way he taken six robots that he and his best friend had created and reprogrammed them to follow his orders. But, through a variety of uncalculated factors, his plan failed. So he decided to try again, this time by creating eight robots of his very own. One of these second generation robots was labeled DWN 009: Metal. Despite his strength with blades and strong will, Metal was a very calm, down to earth robot. He looked after his 'siblings' and became a nice counterweight to the energy produced by some of his brothers and a comfortable companion for his equally down to earth lover. However, as time went by, some of their brethren had developed violent and sadistic personalities. And, though he was a powerful robot in his time, he was deemed rather weak in comparison to some of his newer brothers and, after a while, began to get beaten on. And not just beaten, but raped by a certain group of robots whose names were said in either fear or hate. It wasn't because he was considered that weak, he could still hold his own pretty well in the face of danger. It was because his relationships with some of the older robots, many of which were deemed as trouble makers by their creator. Or so the popular thought went among those that even cared. Or didn't care but decided to make a speculation anyway. The other thought was that it was because Metal didn't do anything about it. Maybe it was because he had gotten used to it over the years and decided that it was easier just to get it over with than to struggle. Or maybe it was the fact that he never said anything; out of some twisted sense of loyalty or something of the sort. It made his friends and brothers mad but no matter what anyone did or say, he would never say anything about it at all. His body could be torn up and blood puddling at his feet and if someone asked him if he was okay, he'd stand there with a perfectly straight face and say 'I'm fine'. He had a very strong will, though many would say for the wrong thing. But that was just the kind of guy he was.  
It really never went over well with his friends, but he never said anything about it. And that made Elec angry. It made him want to go out and beat someone to a bloody pulp but he never knew who it was that he was supposed to take his anger out on, so he just sat and he stewed. Or he got into the occasional shouting match with Metal. It never ended well for either of them. And what made it worse was the fact that Elec believed, for the most part, that it was his fault. He was, after all, one of the six original, he held a lot of 'political' sway and between Quick's compassion and his own rhetoric, they could probably bring more support back to them and away from Wily and his Enforcers. But Elec had only two weaknesses: Rock and Metal. And Magnet (in theory and honestly not too hard to imagine) had ingeniously rectified the possible insurgence by brutally beating and raping Metal every time Elec tried to make a move to calm the other Robot Masters. The more he tried to do, the worse condition he'd find Metal everyday. When he had stepped down, the beatings had, more or less, stopped. Threats against his most cherished people did not make Elec happy. And the fact that if he did anything would just make things worse for his lover, he'd just run an endless, vicious circle.  
And Metal really didn't help things at all.  
"How can I just 'calm down' about it?" He seethed, teeth set in a harsh edge.  
"It won't help to worry." Metal replied calmly, folding the linen with his back to Elec. The routine had a nice, soothing rhythm to it.  
"You're acting like something mundane broke."  
"And you're acting like this is a big deal."  
Elec snapped. "You think /this/ isn't a big deal!?" He grabbed Metal's arm and spun him around, gripping his face in one tight hand. "Two black eyes and three replaced teeth! How is that /not/ a big deal??"  
"It can be easily fixed." Metal said, his tone taking on an aggravated patience as he casually slapped Elec's hand away. "I've gotten worse during training."  
"But it's /not/ training." Elec insisted. "The rules state-"  
Metal turned on him with narrowed eyes. "So are you going to become an Enforcer now? Just to make sure everyone does what they're supposed to?"  
He tensed, almost battle ready. "Of course not! I'm just saying that you shouldn't be going through this!"  
"Others go through the same thing just as much as I do. Aren't you going to stand up for them, too?"  
"I don't care about the others, I care about /you/."  
"I'm not more important than they are."  
"You are to me!"  
Metal's mouth turned into an ugly sneer. "And this is about you?"  
"No! It's about you!"  
"Then shouldn't you be worried about what I feel?"  
"But you don't feel /anything/!"  
He stiffened. "Well /thank/ you for telling me that. I guess I'm just imagining that I have my own free will."  
Elec cursed at himself. "Fine." He said with obvious strain. "What /do/ you feel?"  
"Hurt."  
"See?" He exploded. "That's why something has to be done about-"  
"I'm hurt that you don't think I can handle this myself."  
That left the older robot flabbergasted for a moment. "B-But," he eventually managed to sputter out, "you haven't done anything about it for years!"  
"Neither have you."  
"You won't let me!"  
"And you know /why/ I won't let you?" Metal looked at Elec with deep, piercing eyes.  
"No!"  
"And do you know why you don't know?"  
"No!" He was reaching his breaking point.  
"Because." He marched right up to Elec and emphasized each word by shoving a finger harshly against his chest. "You. Don't. Care."  
"D-Don't..... Don't /care/?" He slammed a palm against a tabletop, cracking it slightly. "You don't think I fucking /CARE/!?"  
"You don't know, you don't understand, you don't ask, you don't care." He said easily.  
"That's because you don't tell me!"  
"That's because you don't understand!" Metal shot back, his patience finally cracking. "When you ask, you don't want to hear anything I have to say except for names! When I try to tell how I feel about anything, you always ignore me! Tell me, then, why should I say /anything/ to you?"  
Elec's mouth opened, gaping as he tried to grasp for words- /any/ words -to say. "I want to know!"  
"/What/ do you want to know?"  
"I want to know who did this to you so I can stop them!"  
Metal looked at the older robot with a flat look. "Fine. Do what you want." He turned back to the laundry, unfolding a neat pile so he could fold them again. "That's all you ever do."  
He tried so hard not to snap, fists bunch at his sides, trembling with frustration. "I can't," he said with an obvious, level tone, "because you won't tell me who they are."  
"How about if I give you competely random names? Will that make you feel better?"  
"What the fuck are you talking about? How is that suppose to make me feel /better/?!"  
"You just want someone to hurt, that's all."  
"No it's not!" He lost his last strain of patience. "It's because they hurt /you/!"  
With an incredulous look, Metal turned around. "Apparently they didn't do much damage. Do you think that I'd just roll over and let it pass if someone hurt me so much I'd want payback?"  
"Apparently you are!"  
An eyebrow raised. "Is that so?" He turned back to the laundry, humming to himself. Elec knew what that meant. It meant he'd just been black carded: this conversation is over. Just like all the others.  
Fine, if that's how he wanted it... Elec whirled around and stormed out the door.  
Metal waited until the door slammed- a talent only Elec seemed to have with an automatic door -and the furious stomping faded before he turned to his door and took out his partially full fifth.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
It wasn't an easy few years getting back into Skull Fortress, no one trusted him and the Enforcers followed him- as best they could -for a majority of that time. But Wily had given him a bit of leeway once he had produced plans for him. Shadow smiled to himself.  
Forte was the key to Blues' downfall, just as he had figured. Just not the way that Wily wanted him to be. Though the punishment for 'tricking' him, as the old man put it, was severe, Shadow had to admit that it was pretty fun. He was beginning to see why Blues like being a reaccuring problem.  
But he frowned, hearing the following footsteps behind him. Another Enforcer, most likely, making sure he kept within his 'probation'. While choke chips kept the other Robot Masters from exiting the compound for a limited time around a surrounding area, Shadow's kept him away from the outer areas all together. He was unauthorized to work on any classified projects or allowed into any branch that held information greater than unclassified. And, in accordance with the Enforcers' own rule, he was not allowed to be near Quick.  
"If you want us to leave him alone," Pharaoh said with that conceited smirk on his face, "you stay away from him. I don't care what you have to say or do to him, but we better not catch you getting close to him."  
Of course, Shadow scowled to himself, because everytime he pushed Quick away, it hurt the older robot, caused him to focus less on being the troublemaker he was labeled. It also hurt Shadow and kept him from being a pain to anyone else. Emotion, a double-edged sword he tried so hard to keep away from, but the distance only made the wound bleed more.  
And it's not like he entirely meant to break his end of the deal. Well, maybe a little, but he'd be damned sure he wasn't going to get caught. He just couldn't help himself, something about Quick drew him, pulled at the edge of his mind. He was certain that he was becoming obsessed. During the nights, he began to get this insane urge to see him, an urge that just grew stronger and more persistant over time no matter what he did. Even sneaking out of his room and into Quick's didn't qwell the feeling and it was becoming a struggle to keep from following him during the day.  
While he stayed in Quick's room, he never did anything more than watch, he just couldn't stay away. If the Enforcers ever caught him ('if' indeed, hah!) he would be severely punished. And what they'd do to Quick... it made his blood run cold just thinking of him being punished because of him.  
But last night.... oh God, last night....  
He couldn't believe how stupid he was. Standing there, in the dark of Quick's room, an insane urge pressured his mind and he didn't fight it. He kissed him.  
Nothing spectacular or incredibly romantic, just went over to Quick's side and watch him for a moment. Then, reaching down, Shadow picked up his hand. And kissed it. No thought, just a kiss.  
And when he looked up, Quick's eyes were open.  
"Shadow...." he whispered, smiling in a way that Shadow's chest clench. "I missed you..."  
He froze, he couldn't do anything captured by those eyes. Then, Quick chuckled and closed his eyes, a smile as he slept, hand squeezing Shadow's tightly. Sometime during the night, Shadow found the strength to pull his hand away from Quick's and return to his own quarters before anyone else woke up.  
And then the next morning. If Shadow could disable himself, he would've the moment he said those words to Quick...  
"What does it take to get through to you? You're annoying, you're clingy. Nothing you could ever say or do could make me care about you."  
At that moment, he really wanted to kill himself, but even death seemed too good for him.  
Of course, the next problem was to come: Ring. When it came to Quick, anything Shadow did was wrong. And anytime he did anything, Ring would always confront him.  
And this was one of their worst, yet.  
"What the fuck is your problem?" Ring had sneered at him. They were standing in middle of a corridor leading to the back entrace of the main compound. No one else was anywhere near them.  
Shadow looked at him calmly.  
"Stop that!" Ring's shoulders tensed, fist tight as bone. "Don't give me that shit and answer me!"  
"What do you want?" Came the soft reply.  
"Why the fuck do you keep doing this to Quick? Do you just not /get/ the fact that you're hurting him? Or is that your entire purpose?"  
Shadow turned away. "You wouldn't understand."  
"Like this makes any goddamn sense, right." Ring's voice grew louder. "He fucking /loves/ you, you know. Even after all this, he won't give you up no matter what anyone says and you keep treating him like shit."  
Shadow didn't say anything, just waited until Ring said his piece.  
"I can't stand you. I hate your fucking guts and I'd love to see you torn to pieces." He went back down to a growl. "I don't know why he keeps hanging on you, you're not worth one rusted bolt you were built with."  
Annoyed, the other turned around. "Are you finished? I have better things to do than listen to your whinning."  
"Fuck you, Shadow. It doesn't matter anymore." He stood up, pointing a finger in Shadow's direction as if he were issuing a challenge. "I'm taking Quick from you. I'll make it so he hates you, so he can't stand looking at you. If it's that last thing I do, I'll have Quick hurt you as much as you have him."  
His eyes brightened a bit, glaring. Threats didn't go well with Shadow, especially about things he did, deep down, care about. "Don't do anything you'll regret. Ring."  
"Regret? Feh. I'd pound your goddam face into the ground if I had the chance."  
Before he knew it, Shadow had covered the distance between them, snarling in his face. "Stay away from Quick."  
"Or what?"  
"I'll rip your head off."  
Ring's blood pistoned through his body. "No. Because I'll gut your sorry ass, first."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
There was only one thing that Pharaoh did not like about being the leader of the Enforcers. He had to do everything he made the others do. It wasn't like he'd go and have them do some bull shit task he'd never have done himself, he just got annoyed having to do some of them.  
A week of 12 on/12 off was one of them. It meant that for the next week, he stayed up 12 hours, from six at night till six in the morning ensuring everything was running smoothly in the Fortress while Magnet took care of the regular work. So, to begin this week of boring, bothersome watch, directly after afternoon practice, he went to take a nap until his shift started.  
"Pharaoh. Pharaoh, we have a situation."  
The voice dragged him from the edge of his nap. With a small groan, he scrunched his head underneath his pillow.  
"Pharaoh, answer me, are you there?"  
Maybe it'll go away...  
"Pharaoh!"  
Ah, fuck it. "What?" His muffled voice groggily answered, head still under the pillow.  
In the security center, Centaur rolled his eyes. Of course Pharaoh would be in the last place he looked. Actually in his own room...  
"We have a situation."  
"It better be a fucking invasion of robot eating aliens."  
"There's a fight going on in corridor Echo-nine-er."  
"So what?" He snapped. "Big deal."  
Centaur's voice took on a concerned tone. "But no one's doing anything about it!"  
"Of course they are. They're taking bets." He curled up in his covers, trying to recapture some sleep.  
"Pharaoh." The voice took a more demanding tone. "It's Shadow and Ring."  
There was a pause. Then an exasperated sigh came from the pillow. "Christ... All right, all right. I'll be there."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Shadow wasn't a very peculiar robot because he liked his space, many of the other Robot Masters did, too. The only thing was, Shadow also liked his space while he was fighting. Especially against someone with a fighting style like Ring's: adept at not just both long and short ranged attacks, but able to use a long-ranged weapon in a closed in environment. And being sleep deprived for weeks didn't much help the situation, either. For the most part, their fight seemed like a draw, but as fatigue began to catch up with him, it looked like Ring would come out the winner.  
For his part, Ring had another major advantage: when Blues retarded his Surge, he changed the formula in his blueprints. So while Shadow could very rarely become emursed in Surge, Dr. Cossack didn't put such a limitation on any of his creations. Consumed by rage and hate, Ring's only focus was to kill Shadow. Shadow's was to stay alive. And they both drew a large crowd.  
By the time Centaur had alerted Pharaoh to the fight, both were exhausted by the fight, but unwilling to conceed the victory. They were less than ten yards apart, trying to catch their breath before the next move, bleeding and bruised, exposed and severed circuits and wires crackling. Rings right arm was useless, his left holding his weapon. Shadow crouched, the wound at his side hindering his maneuverablity greatly. The other Robot Masters cheered, waiting far too long for a good fight, bets swapping, the pot growing larger as the battle stretched.  
At a hiden signal, the two Robot Masters shot forward. Ring drew his arm back, flinging the projectile at his adversary, the round boomerang curving through the air. Shadow planted his feet, springing at one of the walls, evading the ring and he twisted, pinning it to the opposite wall with one of his throwing stars. The crowd hushed and then went up in another round of cheering as the two still charged at each other. Then they immeadetly fell silent.  
Shadow had drawn his sword during his charge, whipping it forward with the intent to run Ring through. But before he reached his mark, a gold and black blur appeared in his path. He grabbed Shadow's wrist, holding it high in the air, making the short bioroid choke back a cry as the wound at his side stretched and tore. Pharaoh looked down on him with merciless eyes.  
"I hope," he said calmly, "that you're finished." He turned to look at Ring. "Are you?"  
"This has nothing to do with you, Pharaoh." His brother growled, annoyed at the interference.  
"Doesn't it? Is it not my duty to ensure that everyone doesn't go around killing each other in the halls?"  
"Let go." Shadow hissed. Pharaoh gazed cooly down at again.  
"I'll deal with you later." He promised before dropping the slender wrist. He then turned to the crowd. "I suggest everyone leaves." He gave them a golden glare. "Now."  
They muttered, shuffling away slowly, wanting to see what would happen next. His attention was caught by Snake and Hard, trying to help Skull- the instigator of the betting pool -carry their earnings away.  
"Don't think you three are going to get off that easy." He told their backs. They froze momentarily before, slowly, they looked over their shoulder and gave him guilty grins. There were still stragglers, but most of the audience had left. Rolling his eyes, he looked at the two combatants. "Now, I assume there's a relatively good reason for this."  
Neither bioroids said anything, just looked away.  
"...." He frowned behind his helmet. "Che. Both you, always having to make everything difficult." He growled. "Shadow, stop leaking fluids all over the floor."  
"Can't really help it." Came the terse reply.  
"No, I suppose you can't..." he looked over to Ring, scanning the damage. "Christ, Ring, you keep swinging that arm around, you'll have to get it completely replaced. Get to Med Bay. And take Shadow with."  
He narrowed orange eyes. "Why?"  
"You broke him, you fix him."  
"I don't care if he keels over from blood loss right now. What makes you think I'd help him?"  
"Forget it." Shadow snarled. "I can take care of myself." He turned and stormed off, dissappearing into the remaining crowd.  
Pharaoh turned to Ring expectantly, the other sulked a bit under the gaze. He left wordlessly, cradling his disabled arm. As he walked through the crowd, he saw Quick's anguished face before he turned and vanished. 


	3. Third: Shatter

Among Friends Third: Shatter  
  
by Lady Virgo  
  
"Nothing remains  
Those that  
do not have strength  
breaks."  
  
///  
  
"Why does he keep /doing/ this to me?"  
  
Crash stayed silent, just watching him pace with a subtly hurt expression.  
  
"Why doesn't he get it? Why does he keep pushing me away like this?"  
  
Five paces, turn, five more, turn. Crash let out a quiet sigh, holding his hands tightly together.  
  
Step, step, step.....  
  
"How could he say those things, Crash?"  
  
Crash bit his lip, lowering his head.  
  
Step, step, turn....  
  
"I don't want him to be like this...."  
  
Step, step, step.....  
  
"He knows that, but...."  
  
Crash hunched up, heart throbbing from pain.  
  
Step, step....  
  
"He hurt me.... deliberately."  
  
Stop.  
  
He took in a shuddering breath, blue eyes glittering with tears.  
  
"He doesn't care...."  
  
No..... thought Crash. He just cares too much. His chin trembled. They all do.  
  
Quick, Ring and now Elec. Never before had Crash had to play therapist to them, and now, suddenly, all three of them came to seek his shoulder. And Crash had absolutely no idea what to do. Tell them it's all right? That it's okay? He didn't know what was happening. All he understood was that his dear friends were hurting those closest to them. And no one knew why.  
  
"Crash...." Elec was sitting on the edge of a chair, hands buried deep in his short cropped hair. "What do I do?" One of the most emotionally stable robots he knew was crying to him, on the point of breaking.  
  
What do /I/ do? He didn't know. The only person he really had any practice in speaking seriously with was Ring, and even then the Russian- made robot left just as upset as he had come in.  
  
I'm useless.... I can't do this, I don't know how.  
  
Quick did. Quick knew all about handling personal problems.  
  
/"I don't know why they're doing this to me."/  
  
Except for his own.  
  
/"Am I the one at fault?"/  
  
No....  
  
/"Did I make a mistake somewhere?"/  
  
No....  
  
/"Did I do something wrong?"/  
  
No, no, no..... It's not your fault. Don't cry, please don't cry. I don't know what to do. Please, Quick, don't cry. How do I help you? What do I do? I don't know how to help. I don't know what to do. Don't cry. Please? Please? ....Help me.  
  
"Crash?"  
  
He jumped at the hand on his shoulder. Elec had moved to sit on the bed next to him. "Crash, are you okay?"  
  
It was then he noticed that he was shaking, hands hiding his face and tears lining his eyes. All traces of lost frustration had vanished from Elec's face. Now Crash was his single concern.  
  
He cursed to himself. Elec had come here for some advice and comfort, not the one to be comforting someone else. Crash hurriedly dried his threatening tears. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just...." he couldn't say anything more, just swallowed hard.  
  
"Nightmares again?"  
  
There was a short pause. Then Crash nodded.  
  
Because it was easier to lie than to be weak.  
  
With a grim looking, Elec patted his shoulder and stood up. "Get checked up, all right? No one wants you to go through that again. Especially you."  
  
The younger bioroid gave him a weak grin. "Right." He waited until Elec left his room and he fell back on his bed, rubbing the tears that refused to cease. "Goddammit...."  
  
///  
  
Wily skimmed through the report in front of him. "So, is the problem being taken of?"  
  
Magnet bowed. "Yes, sir. Both Metal and Elec are effectively subdued."  
  
"Good, good." He muttered under his breath about troublemakers as he continued to flip through the data sheet. "And what about the other problems?"  
  
This time, the bioroid bowed his head to hide a grin. "They're taking care of themselves."  
  
///  
  
Three weeks went by and everyday, it seemed, couldn't pass without Shadow and Ring getting into some sort of fight. On a few occasions it was a shouting match (on Ring's part, but Shadow's held as much, if not more, intensity) and on the rare days they'd get in as many as three fights. It had gotten to the point that the other Robot Masters realized that those two were out for blood and most tried to keep the two away from each other. Especially on the practice field where anything went.  
  
And as time went by, and continued by, things kept changing and kept getting worse and worse. Metal and Elec went through long periods of not talking or seeing each other and every other day either ended or began in an argument that could be heard all the way down in the third wing. And through it all, Crash somehow managed to get by as the councilor, though he never did anything more than just sit there while the other would rant.  
  
He was seeing less and less of Quick as time went by.  
  
He was becoming afraid.  
  
Quick broke down, about a week into the fighting. Crash had seen his brother cry before, he was a compassionate bioroid. But he had never before seen him cry so helplessly, so hopelessly before, and never in a public area. Crash had managed to drag Quick out to eat at the chow hall, chattering ceaselessly to him, trying to keep the topic light and shying away from anything that might upset him.  
  
However, just when Crash had gotten him to the point of smiling again, someone (he couldn't recall who, and if he did, he would've beaten them into greasy mark) came up and told Quick:  
  
"Hey, Speedy, put a leash on your boys. They're annoying the hell outta everyone with their bitchin'."  
  
Immediately Quick's smile vanished and his shoulders slumped, eyes that cracked down to his very essence. Crash could've sworn he saw his heart stop.  
  
"Quick....," he reached over to grab his brother's hand before it slipped out of view. "Hey, c'mon now, Quick...!" Crash pleaded, trying to keep him from slipping back. "Quick, /please/!" He growled, looked around, trying to find the instigator and tear him apart. He felt the hand in his shudder.  
  
Quick's head bowed, his frame shaking and soft choking noises coming out of him. It took Crash a moment to realize that he was crying. Quietly, silently bearing the guilt that wasn't his and sorrow that was of no fault of his own.  
  
"Oh Quick, don't...." Crash said in a hushed voice. He held Quick's shuddering shoulders, trying to comfort him. "Don't cry. Don't, please?" He wrapped one hand around the back of the other's head, leaning their foreheads together, his own eyes lining with tears as he desperately wanted to take away his dear brother's pain. "Quick.... please...."  
  
At that moment, he truly hated Ring. He held no love for Shadow for hurting- intentionally or unintentionally -Quick, Ring knew how the speedster felt, knew how much he cared for the kagemusha. And, though Crash knew how much Ring hated to see Quick hurt, how much he loved him, he still decided to go against the one most important to Quick. Intentionally. Deliberately. Because he believed the end justified the means. Because Ring couldn't bare the pain anymore.  
  
And that selfishness was hurting his brother more than he could stand. Within a month's time, Crash felt too overburdened, being the emotional unload point. He, himself, was a very emotionally weak robot, his own fears and trepidation conquered him in the loneliness of night.  
  
It was a chemical imbalance that couldn't be fixed; or rather, one that Wily hadn't bothered to fix. Once only had that imbalance overcome him. He couldn't sleep, he wouldn't allow himself to be turned off because then the memories barraged him, twisting and mutating into some paranoid life that was all too real. And, the worse it got, the more real it became until it started twisting the world as he lived in into that fearsome, grotesque that he dreamed. Burner still wouldn't go near the drill bomber after that.  
  
It was starting up again, he could feel it. The crawling in his mind, clamoring and scratching across his brain that set his teeth on edge and nerves on fire. The shivers of brutal cold and pain wracking heat, the exhaustion that crept into his body at every waking moment, the jumpiness when there was nothing around him but silence. It was paranoia, it was fear in its highest degree. And it tore at him.  
  
Crash's hands shook as it reached for his pills, the medication that slowed down the chemicals inside of him. His power to create explosives came from the mixture that ran in his system, ran with his blood. The pills were specially made to negate that ingredient that sent his mind out of whack, it effected him like a narcotic and he was only authorized to use it when he would be suspended for an extended period of time.  
  
He could feel the nightmares coming at him already, the chemical picking out the worst from the day that would leave him huddling in the corner, crying and prying that he'd wake up.  
  
"Find myself awake counting sad days," it was an old song, from a time well before his, a year he couldn't remember. But he found comfort in it, a morbid, depressing sort of comfort. "1, 2, 3, that's too many for me." Every night he resorted to the pill, he sang it in the quiet silence of his room, too keep it from feeling too oppressive, to keep from feeling the world was pressuring and cracking him.  
  
To keep from feeling that his best friend had just shattered all the years between them.  
  
"Dropped another pill just to find me,"  
  
He could remember the fight they had, all the things he had buried deep since the beginning exploding, the words he meant with all his heart, the pain he wanted Ring to go through...  
  
/"You don't even care what you're doing to him!"/  
  
"Reached for my hand, but it was already there."  
  
/"Of course I do! I can't just let Shadow hurt him anymore!"/  
  
"Then I started believing, that I fell out of a tiny raindrop,"  
  
/"You don't care! You don't care at all! You just want Shadow out of the way because he's the only one that's been between you and Quick! You're just as much a fucking selfish bastard as everyone else!"/  
  
"That lost its way when it decided to roam"  
  
He could still remember the feel of Ring's hand on his throat, the pressure of the wall on his back. /"No ones talks to me like that. Not you, not anyone."/  
  
"Chasing me was hungry dweller."  
  
/"Then beat me. Hurting your friends seems like the only thing you know how to do anymore."/  
  
With a deep sigh, Crash dropped the pills in a glass of water and downed it in one gulp. Lying back, he waited for the darkness to claim him. "But I had escaped it by pretending to die."  
  
///  
  
"What the hell happened?!"  
  
"No one knows! He just doubled over in the halls and started vomiting!"  
  
Lights flashed in his eyes. 'From the ceiling,' he assured himself.  
  
"Shit, where's all this blood coming from?"  
  
"Clear the way!"  
  
"Change the fucking gauze, already!"  
  
"We've run out!"  
  
He closed his eyes and winced. His insides burned, it felt like he was being eaten alive from the inside. He couldn't make a sound, he couldn't move, the pain was just too much. Several power grids were gone, chips and circuits were burning out, short circuiting and he could feel the sparks crackling inside his body. He was going mad from the pain.  
  
"Hold him down, Jesus!"  
  
'That's me', a detached part of himself realized. 'I'm the one making that strange noise, I'm the one screaming....'  
  
"Let me go!"  
  
'Elec?'  
  
He wished he could see, just for an odd sense of comfort. He wanted to see Elec struggling against the other bioroids, trying to hold him back. "Goddammit! Lemme go! I need to see him!"  
  
"Stop it, you can't do anything!"  
  
Elec's heart clenched as he saw the stretcher enter the secondary lab, often times used as the emergency room. He strained against the robots that stood against him, crying, yelling, screaming.  
  
"METAL!" 


	4. Final: Forever

Among Friends Final: Forever  
  
by Lady Virgo  
  
"And all that is  
is no longer  
And all that can  
be die."  
  
///  
  
For the first time in far too long, the world saw him outside of the dim interior of Skull Fortress. Generally he would spend a vast majority of his time outside, but the stress of the passed few months left him feeling far less energetic than usual.  
To be putting it lightly.  
It was a beautiful day outside, as well. Sitting up on the roof of the highest tower of the fortress, Quick couldn't help but think it was unfair. The sky wasn't supposed to be a soft blue and clean. The clouds were supposed to be thick and foreboding, maybe even flashing lightning lashes in the dark horizon. No warm winds, no harmonious bird songs, no blooming trees.  
Looking at the tall sway of the grass, he wondered just how easy it would be to jump.  
  
///  
  
There was a condition all creatures, unaccustomed to battle, go through. Due to strain, fear, fatigue, boredom and/or pain. Its called Fog of War. It is when you can't seem to comprehend what's going on, you're detached, you don't understand what you see, you can't hear any sounds and everything's moving in slow motion.  
In theory, the only ones that should be feeling this fog are those that are alive. Those that are under threat of permanently dying.  
It should, hypothetically, not happen to a device whose sole existence was to fight and destroy.  
So then why did everything move like he was watching them from a water filled glass? Why was everything blurring together? Why couldn't he remember what he was doing?  
A.... a fight. He remembered that much. He was fighting. Again. Who was- ah yes, Ring. He was fighting Ring again. And he couldn't seem to move right. He felt sluggish, slow, his body refused to move. All it did was scream at him in a dull pulse.  
He remembered the other Robot Masters gathering around them. They were shouting something at them, he couldn't make out what. Move, maybe? Fight? Or was it they wanted them to stop? He couldn't remember anymore, it all sounded the same to him in the heat of battle.  
Battle? That's right, he was supposed to be fighting. His thoughts struggled weakly in the exhausted folds of his mind. Was he still fighting? How could he lose focus like that?  
In his swimming vision he could make the blur of Ring's enraged face, waiting for something.  
Attack.  
The only thing that made it through his mind.  
Fight. Move. Attack.  
He lurched forward, but his legs wouldn't comply. One of his knees gave out, the other just refused to move outright. He dimly realized he was falling. He saw the smears of blood around him (on him?) that swept across the floor. Where did it come from? Him? Why didn't he feel the pain?  
There was a faint thud as his body connected with the floor, mind reeling in the thick confusion. There.... he thought vaguely. There's my leg. No wonder it wouldn't move.....  
Something forced its way passed his throat, demanding he let it out or choke. The blood didn't so much as ooze out of his open lips as it was a reflexive vomit, throat pushing the foreign liquid from where it didn't belong.  
Did he lose? That's couldn't be right. The only one he had actually lost to was Rock. He didn't lose. A hint of pressure prodded his foggy thoughts, Ring grinding Shadow's head against the floor with a viscous heel.  
He couldn't remember....  
A scuffle? The pressure lifted from his head and knees came into his vision. More yelling from the sounds of it. Or maybe it was just the blood in his ears. It must have been, because something red was dripping in his view.  
With a sigh, he decided maybe it would be better if he just remained unaware.  
  
///  
  
"What the fuck were you thinking!?" Ring let his head loll to the side with the force of the blow. Pharaoh had never once raised a hand to him and his personal views on slapping was that the Robot Masters were above the sort of baby-ish treatment.  
So to have him rake an open palm across his face had, amazingly enough, hurt.  
The Enforcer stood before him, trembling in rage. "I /never/ would've thought you'd be so fucking /stupid/! I can't believe /you/, out of everyone here, would honestly try to /kill/ someone!" He jerked a finger passed the glass behind him, passed the computers, passed Crystal and Freeze at the body of Shadow laying on the lab table. "I told you before," he seethed, voice lowered but as intense as before, "that it was my duty to keep everyone from killing each other. I had /hoped/ that you were smart enough to just leave it at little squabbles. I honestly didn't want to punish you."  
Ring said nothing, lifting his eyes up to meet his brother's golden ones.  
"Or do you think you'd learn better if I let Magnet at you." His fists hardened at the thought. He was, to be earnest, afraid of what Magnet would do to Ring, just because he knew he was important to Pharaoh.  
"It doesn't matter." Came the soft reply.  
"What?"  
"It doesn't matter." Ring looked passed him, at the still form on the table. "Shadow's still alive. And so long as he is, I'll never stop fighting him." His clenched fists shook, teeth grinding in his anger. "I'll never forgive him."  
  
///  
  
Of all the feelings going through Metal, he wondered is annoyance should be one of them.  
He had left shortly after they wheeled Shadow into the operation room. Or, rather, he had discharged himself. Neither Freeze or Crystal complained, too busy to spend time worrying about someone who was already back in stable condition.  
The last thing that Crystal had told him, up to his elbows in Shadow's abdomen: "I know you're not going to listen to me, but at least it'll be off my conscience. No more drinking, all right? We had to replace damn near 73% of your circulatory system. Even so, you keep drinking the way you do, you'll just rot your insides again."  
And, as Crystal had suspected, Metal didn't have the slightest inclination of listening to him. He was already being worn down physically, it was really only fitting that he deteriorated from the inside, as well.  
But that wasn't what had annoyed him. It was his 'friends' that did.  
No. They all had their own problems.  
It was Elec.  
The first thing Metal had done was go to his room to drink. Even if Crystal had flushed all the alcohol from his system, the poison had permeated his very being, seeped into his memory, into his circuits. He was a complete slave to it. And it demanded to tarnish this.... untainted tubing that ran through the body it ruled.  
And the first thing Metal instinctively realized as he stepped into his room was his supply had all gone.  
Because Elec was waiting vaguely for him.  
"You know," he had stated once Metal entered the room, "I'm surprised that it took this long for something to happen to you." He cast a sideways glare at his lover. "Now do you understand why I'm always on your case?"  
Softly, as if he barely even acknowledged him, Metal turned to his dresser. "No."  
Elec snapped. "What, looking for your stash?" The younger robot stopped, back still to Elec. "It's gone. It's all gone. Where do you get that shit, anyway? Jim Beam, Grey Goose, Captain Morgan, /Gold Schlagger/?" Elec's blue eyes narrowed. "How the hell did you get all those?"  
There was a silent moment and Metal dragged a hand across the surface on the dresser.  
"Don't think," he said softly, "that just because you got rid of all that you can find, I'll stop just like that."  
"Jesus Christ, Metal!" He stomped to his feet. "You damn near drunk yourself to fucking /death/!"  
"That doesn't change anything. The fact that you're here, now, lecturing me about drinking of all things, proves that it hasn't changed."  
"/What/ hasn't changed?" Metal said nothing, continuing to stare down at the piece of furniture. "Goddammit!" He stalked to the door and whirled around. "I'm doing this for /you/, Metal." He growled. "I don't like being a bastard, especially to you." He then practically shouted, "So what the /fuck/ do I have to do to make you /talk/ to me!?"  
In a hoarse voice came the reply.  
"Leave me alone."  
"No!" Elec yelled. "Not until you talk to me!"  
"What business of it is yours?" Metal snapped. "I can deal with it on my own."  
"With booze. Yes, wonderful way to cope. Walking around /drunk/!" He returned. "I hate when you get like this! I worry every time-"  
"There's nothing to worry about! I'm in control, I'm perfectly fine!"  
Elec snarled. "Being beaten doesn't make you perfectly fine /or/ in control. And this damn habit of yours isn't helping any at all!"  
"It helps," he tensed visibly, "when your entire body is in pain! But what would you know? You don't care enough to even ask let alone understand!"  
"I /try/ to understand! I'm trying to get you to speak with me, I'm trying to know just what it is you go through, but you never tell me!" He was far beyond the range of his temper. Everything he was trying to hold back after so many long years of hidden anxiety and fear and anger was pushing against him. "You always freeze up and turn away, you always change the subject, /you're/ always the one avoiding me trying to help you so don't you dare try to pin /me/ for not caring!"  
"But you /don't/ care! It's not just about these things that I'm talking about!" Metal shouted. "The pain never really goes away anymore, I'm always hurting but you don't care! You never notice when it gets really bad, you don't see when it hurts too much to do anything, but you know what?" He waved a hand around haphazardly. "I let you fuck me anyway because I want to make you happy! I do these things for you and all you do is pester me for the little things! No shit I'm hurt! No shit I got beat or raped again, but I'm used to it. You know what really hurts? When you have to fuck me when I'm hurt and you don't care enough to notice!"  
For a moment, Elec looked as if he were about to break. "Do I- Do I really hurt you?"  
"Yes! Even though you don't intend to, it really does hurt, more than the others because it's /you/!"  
He stuttered, shivering a bit. "I didn't know. I would never hurt you. I didn't mean to, I- I never knew."  
"Because you never cared enough to notice." Metal sniffed, voice steady and quiet. "That's why I drink, so it doesn't hurt as much, so I don't have to think about it anymore." He turned back to the wall, etching small figures into his dresser's surface. "Leave me alone."  
Without a second thought, without fully being aware, Elec left.  
  
///  
  
"Hey, Quick."  
Silence was Crash's only response.  
"Hey, Quick.." He said again, toeing the floor idly. Quick's door was locked, all the codes he tried were denied so he was reduced to talking to his brother through the unyielding metal. "You should come out soon. We're thinking about setting up a picnic or something. You know, the weather being nice and all. Gotta take advantage of the last vestiges of summer before it gets too cold!" He said in his best travel agent impression.  
The nothing greeted him.  
Deathly stillness was all there was since Ring had put Shadow into emergency care. Without a word, without anyone knowing, Quick had just... stopped. Stopped talking, stopped coming out, stopped moving. Crash had wondered once- only once, there was no way it could be true -if Quick had stopped being.  
"Maa," he leaned against the wall, "you should come out after evening chow. Stone and Guts are having an arm wrestling competition. Whoever loses has to shave their head. I'm hoping Guts loses, Stone's already nearly bald as it is." Crash paused and strained is audio sensors. They picked up nothing. Clearing his throat, he tried to think of something else to say. "The cooking's getting worse. We need to bug Turbo to fix the programming again. But, you know, I hear that Star got caught watching those cooking shows, maybe we should put him to the test, huh? You should've been there at practice, too. Bubble's a total moron, man. You wouldn't believe what happened..."  
  
///  
  
"I can't believe Ring went that far.."  
"That wasn't just from that last fight."  
"What do you mean?"  
Crystal hung his head, silver-gray hair hiding his tired eyes. "All the other fights they got into.. Ring refused to fix up Shadow. Shadow never came in for repairs. Most of his wounds were weeks old, the accumulation and stress broke his body down."  
Freeze's eyes widened. "But.. They've been fighting for over a month!" His low voice was a mere whisper. "It's amazing he could even survive.."  
"They can't keep going on like this." The older robot clenched his fists tight. "We were lucky we could've saved him. But I doubt we can keep it up at the rate they're going. They won't stop until one of them dies."  
Freeze shook his head. "You talk as if we're even alive. How can we 'die'? How can we be stopped permanently?"  
"If no one repairs us. If no one recharges us. If we refuse to be activated." Crystal looked at Freeze with hard eyes. "Just because we don't live the way purely biological beings do doesn't mean that we're immune to death."  
From where he lay, listening to the conversation- only parts of it penetrated the thick cloud of his thoughts -Shadow held up a bandaged hand. Then, slowly, clenched it into a fist.  
Death.. Dying...  
Was Quick worth 'dying' for? Could he deal with Ring's 'death' on his conscience? Could he give up his own 'life'?  
"It doesn't matter.." Shadow said quietly to himself. "If it comes to that, so be it. But I will never forgive him."  
  
///  
  
"Hey, Quick, I'm back!" He stood in front of the speedster's door, waiting a few seconds for some sort of acknowledgment. And none came. "They said that Shadow's going to be fine. A little rest and a few more tweaks in his system and he'll be up to his reclusive, quiet self. Isn't that great?" Crash said, smiling at the door.  
There was no reply.  
He wondered if he even expected one. "Ne, Quick.." his tone lowered half an octave. "It's useless trying to scare me like this. I know you're in there, laughing at me worrying over you. But it's okay. Because I like you and you've taken care of me. So I'll keep coming here and keeping you company. I'll indulge in you and your twisted sense of humor until you get bored." Crash swallowed the knot in his throat, trying to ignore how unnaturally quiet it was.  
"But... Quick." The muscles in his cheeks twitched and clenched. "Elec... I can't take it. Elec came to me and.. And he was crying. Quick, Elec was /crying/ to me." His voice was gradually becoming thick. "He's always been one of the strongest bioroids I've ever known and he just broke down and cried. He just kept on rambling about it's his fault Metal nearly drank himself to death. He said that he's no good to Metal and that he keeps hurting him and he never knew, that he never meant it.." Crash placed his hands on the door. "Quick, please. Please, I don't know what to do. I've never known how to take care of things like this. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to tell him?" The door blurred in his eyes, tears trembling on his lashes as he desperately tried to hold them back.  
Quick...  
Forcing a cheerful note in his tear-thick voice, Crash made his best effort to smile through the door, as if Quick would see him. "You're probably asleep or something, huh? Must be why you're so quiet. I'll bet it's because you're running low on energy. Tell you what, I'll get you something to eat, you know you're hungry. You're always hungry 'cause of your metabolism. I'll leave your food outside your door. Eat it up so you're awake next time I come by, okay?"  
With one last look at his brother's room, Crash made a quick retreat down the hall. He barely made it to his own quarters before he slid to the ground, curling into a ball and trying so /damn/ /hard/ not to cry..  
  
///  
  
"Che. A bit too soon, isn't it?" Ring spat to the side. He really didn't care if Shadow had a death wish.  
As if he were just checking, Shadow rolled his leg at the knee and ankle, experimentally flexing the hand that they had to replace. Ring saw the flash of skin between Shadow's jacket cuff and glove; it was several shades darker than his original skin. No one else really had the same tone as Shadow did.  
Confident in his parts' working order, he slowly looked back up at Ring. "Thank you for your unwanted concern."  
Ring scowled. "I don't care about you. I want you dead."  
"I know."  
He despised that cold shell he constantly hid himself behind. "We're ending it this time. Only one of us is walking away."  
Shadow tilted his head down. He seemed to have been waiting for this, a small, dark smile on his face. "We'll do this the proper way." To Ring's surprise, Shadow pressed on his Flash Case, light encasing his form as the dark armor solidified onto his body. By instinct, Ring's own armor was called no more than a half-second later.  
And, realizing how serious the kagemusha was on their final battle, the Russian robot smiled.  
Today, he was certain, /he/ would be the victor.  
  
///  
  
Their battle took them across the vast halls of Skull Fortress. Doors and computer panels were smashed, light fixtures shattered, wires and glass strewn down battle scarred halls. Holes and dents littered the walls, drops of blood, oil, whatever it may have been speckling the floor and the Robot Masters shrank away. They knew what true rivalry looked like, they knew when one was so intently focused in their battles that nothing else mattered. They were robots, built to fight. But this went beyond anything they say.  
This was true blood lust. They were out to kill each other.  
Even at the expense of their own lives.  
Anyone that got in their way was swept up in their fight. Several had already been sent to the medbay in dire need of repairs. And because of that, the others stayed a good distance away.  
Several of the Robot Masters had contacted the Enforcers, staying in their corner of the recroom. Flash, Skull and Hard were fidgeting at the bar, Snake and Plant trying to ignore the world beyond their video games. And Magnet just about had enough of the wait.  
He stalked up to Pharaoh, calmly sprawled across his chair and reading a paper. Some strong, strange smelling tea was next to him. Magnet recognized its scent as the one Pharaoh drank whenever he was anxious. Frown on his deceptive face, he peered down on the golden eyed robot.  
"Why are we in here?" He quietly asked. But the others heard anyway. They knew this would end up in another argument, but they wanted to know the same thing.  
Magnet received no answer. "Well? How come we're not out there stopping them like we should?" Pharaoh didn't appear to even notice him. "Are you waiting for Wily-sama to tell you to stop them? It's obvious we should! We don't need to be told these things, you know that!" At the continuing silence, Magnet exploded. "Dammit, Pharaoh! They're destroying the fortress that we were formed to protect and you're just sitting there like it-"  
"Leave it, Maggie!" The sharp, crispness of Pharaoh's voice cut through his mind, leaving the red bioroid temporarily speechless. He calmly picked up his cup of tea. "If they won't learn any other way, then let them kill themselves. They don't care."  
  
///  
  
Not everyone shared Pharaoh's sentiments on the fight. Crash, once having found out about the fight-to-the-death, had hurried to the scene. Clad in his armor, the drill bomber set himself in the fight, determined to pull the two apart.  
He was causing more problems then he was stopping.  
Having run out of any other ideas- he knew before hand he wouldn't be able to keep up their pace for long -he wrapped his arms around Ring, putting himself between Ring and Shadow.  
"What the fuck are you doing!?" Ring nearly shrieked, finally noticing that his best friend was trying to kill him. Or himself. Or both of them.  
"Stop it, Ring! Please!" He begged for all he was worth. "Stop fighting! It's not helping anyone! All you're doing is hurting-"  
"Goddammit, Crash!" Ring's orange eyes flickered upward, sensing the impending attack. "Get the fuck outta the way!" He ripped an arm out of Crash's grip and smashed it against the side of Crash's helmet.  
And got a flying sidekick, point blank, in the face.  
Ring skidded across the floor and plowed into the bulkhead. He rolled over to his side, a hand frantically tearing the broken pieces of his mask away from his face. Blood dripped down from his mouth and broken nose and he choked on a stray tooth that nearly went down his throat.  
Shadow, secured in his sense of victory, smiled uncharacteristically and dashed forward. He found himself fighting for footing as something barreled into his side, knocking him off course. Crash stood between the two, still reeling from the blow that knocked him out of harm's way. Trying to shake clear his head, the orange drill bomber flexed his hands. The few brave that made up the audience murmured at his apparent suicide.  
"Both of you," he shouted, "/stop it/!"  
"Stay out of this!" Shadow snarled. He swung out with a reverse fist, pivoting on his forward foot and fell into a sweep kick, tripping Crash to the ground.  
Using his spin momentum, Shadow twisted up, his outstretched foot coming up into an arc, falling to crush Crash in the chest. However, Crash was just as much a battle-oriented robot as many of his brethren were and knew better than to stay down. He spun to the side, dancing away nimbly as Shadow tried to catch him with a back-kick.  
The shadow slinker snarled and fell on Crash with his blade. The helmeted Robot Master angled his body, shifting both hands into drill and thrust them forward. As they contacted, the bombs exploded, breaking the sword into large shards, one of them striking Crash in the face, Gel spilling down his open cheek.  
Shadow staggered back from the force of the explosion. Small nicks and scratches raked down his body as well, struggle to readjust his sight from the light. His eyes finally focused on the shattered blade in his hand and flashed a blazing violet. With a snarl, Shadow's sight fixed on Crash.  
He shot forward with a speed hard to follow and threw the broken hilt at him. It was easily evaded, but as Crash sidestepped the projectile, he left himself open for a kick in the side. He felt something crack, just before the follow through pounded him against a nearby wall. A hand found its way to his throat, cutting off the breath that he couldn't catch. Through wincing eyes, he matched up to the flaring pair of Shadow's. With strength someone his size couldn't possibly possess- Surge, Shadow was in Surge! -he hauled Crash off the ground. The taller robot's feet scraped the air a good couple inches from the floor. He weakly batted at Shadow's arm, what little breath he could get whistled in his body- one of his lungs must've been punctured..  
Crash grappled with the fingers at his neck, pressing too tightly to loosen them. He cracked open an eye again and aimed a kick at Shadow's armpit. Though with his armor on, the kagemusha didn't feel any pain, the force of the kick made him reflexively drop his arm. Crash took the opening, pressing both his feet against the wall at his back and pushing them across the hall. Surprised, Shadow allowed the movement, unlocking his elbow and bringing Crash in close. Which gave Crash the advantage.  
He was one of the better grapplers in Wily's ranks- for someone smaller than a majority of the other robots -and immediately he snaked an arm over Shadow's, bringing it down to break the hold on his throat. He gripped Shadow's arm at the triceps, anchoring him in place and locking his other arm behind Shadow's head. He was pressed tightly against Crash, unable to move, their legs entangled and any sudden movement threatened to topple them both over.  
Then Crash saw Shadow's eyes grow wide, not in fear, but in a hissing anger and suddenly, Crash heard running feet and turned to see Ring charging at them, in his hands the broken hilt of Shadow's sword.  
He barely even thought, just turned, one hand keeping Shadow in place, the other going up to block the thrust. It was almost like slow motion, he saw- not felt -the ragged edge of the blade piercing through his armor, impaling his hand. He didn't even feel it before he felt a hand on his gut- Shadow- gripping and twisting his stomach, causing him to double over. The moment Shadow deemed him bent far enough down, he rolled over Crash's back, kicking Ring away and the fight began anew.  
He fell back against the wall, still too close to the battle for anyone to dare see if he was okay. His frustrations wanted him to cry and scream, but he lacked the energy to do so. He was tired, he couldn't hold up to them and he couldn't stop them.  
Dammit... Goddammit..! He hissed to himself, cradling his bloody hand to his chest, trying to ignore how the lack of oxygen was starting to make his vision darken. He didn't see the battle rage on. He didn't watch as the two fought, the blood being spilled and bones being broken. He cursed at himself, praying for strength, praying he could see Quick's smiling face again. See Ring doing another one of his stupid pranks. He wanted to envy the connection between Elec and Metal again. He wanted his friends to be /happy/.  
Shadow and Ring fell back after they exchanged blows, trying to find their next wind. With blood soaked grimaces, they charged at each other.  
"DAMMIT!" Crash shot forward, bringing out another bomb. He had to stop them. He had to stop this. And right now, it didn't matter how.  
He smashed the point of the bomb into the floor between the two fighters, just as they were closing in. Bright light and heat enveloped the three and that was all he knew.  
  
///  
  
When Crystal walked into the room, he was surprised to see Crash was sitting up and looking around in his normal, wide-eyed manner.  
"Ah, you're up." He said in a doctorly manner.  
"What is this place?"  
"One of the rooms where we keep the over-nighters."  
Crash looked confused. " 'Over-nighters'?"  
"The ones that need to be looked after for long periods of time." The light haired robot took a small bottle off the tray he had brought in. "You, my foolish patient, nearly blew yourself and the other two up." He gave him a critical look. "Not the smartest way to end a fight, if you ask me."  
"Well.." He had the good nature to look sheepish. "Are they okay?"  
"Fine, for the most part. Few broken parts here, a couple things needing replacing there. A good load of tranquilizers all around."  
He blinked. "Tranqs?"  
"Yup." Crystal drew some of the liquid in the bottle into a needle that was also resting on the tray. "Those two gave us a lot of work in here. Ran out of painkillers so we figured: if you have to be in pain, might as well be unconscious for it."  
"U-Un.." Crash looked up in surprise.  
"Crystal." A voice said. It was Ring, leaning against the door to the room, parts of him still wrapped up in bandages. "I want to talk with Crash, alone."  
The medical robot looked at him for a moment, then at Crash. The robot in question seemed glad to see his friend. However, Crystal didn't think he'd be happy for too long. Normally he wouldn't have given it a second thought, but he didn't feel particularly inclined to let them speak alone.  
"Crystal-" Ring growled in a menacing way.  
"It's all right, Crystal!" Crash smiled brightly. "I'll be okay."  
He cast a look at Crash, looking as if he was going to say something but, deciding it wasn't his place, just nodded and walked out. The needle and bottle remained on the nearby table.  
"Have a seat!" The older robot said with more energy than he had in weeks. He scooted over a bit, patting the area next to him on the bed. However, to his surprise and curiosity, Ring remained standing. And when Crash looked up at him, he shrank at the fury and animosity the shone clearly on his face. "Wh-What's wrong?"  
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" He growled, trying to control the shaking in his fist.  
"What're you talking-"  
"What the fuck were you thinking!?" Ring lashed out, his arm catching on a glass of water on the nightstand and shattering it on the ground. Crash flinched, unable to meet Ring's eyes.  
"I-I was-"  
"Do you want to die? Is /that/ your problem?" He hissed.  
Faltering slightly, the other robot glared up at him. "/You're/ the one that wanted to die."  
"/I/ have a purpose."  
"/Purpose/?" Crash had forgotten his fear, lost in the stupidity of it all. "What, do you think you can be a martyr or something? Do you think dying would /get/ you something?"  
"I'm willing to die for a cause!"  
"There's no point to it!" Crash shouted, hands bunch up the sheets around him. "Your death would be meaningless!"  
Orange eyes narrowed at him. "Quick is not meaningless."  
"Right now, anything you'd do for him is!" His own gaze matched, force for force, demanding to be heard. "You don't even know. You don't even /care/!"  
"What the hell are you-"  
"Quick might as well be dead right now!" His voice rang in the small room. It threw Ring off guard. "No one's seen him! He won't talk to me, he won't leave his room! He hasn't eaten in nearly a week! For all we know, he's lying dead in his quarters but we can't tell because his fucking /room/ is locked! There's no point to this Goddamn fight because it's not accomplishing /anything/! You claim to be doing this for Quick, but have you stopped and thought, for just /one/ /second/ about how he's feeling? Have you thought that maybe you're /hurting/ him? That you're driving him into hiding? Have you ever thought that he doesn't want two people he loves fighting each other over /him/? He thinks it's his fucking fault!" Tears began to spill over Crash's cheeks. "He thinks it's his fault you two are fighting when you're just being dumb asses!" His head was bent over his clenched hands, eyes shut tight at he ranted. "I would've forgiven Shadow because Quick loved him! Because he never really knew how much Quick cared! But I can't forgive you! I can /never/ forgive you! You deliberately hurt Quick because you were being selfish! And now, because of you.!" Crash's words stumbled and caught in his throat. He doubled over in his bed, tears entangling themselves in his mouth. "Because of you..! I may never see my brother again.."  
He sat there, head braced against his knees, crying. And Ring, giving him one more cold stare, spun on his heels and walked out of the room.  
When Crystal came back to check on the drill bomber, he found the room empty. So was the tray he had left there.  
  
///  
  
"Quick..." he said, voice low, "I can't keep going like this. I'm not as strong as you. I don't know how to keep everyone together. Elec's withdrawing from everyone, Ring's getting snappy, I don't know how to comfort Metal..." Crash pressed his forehead against the door. "I can't be like you. I don't know how. I'm not strong enough for it.  
"Everything's just getting messed up now and everyone's falling apart. Quick, please... help me. Tell me what to do, I'm not strong enough. Please..." his voice fell on dead ears. "I can't take it. I can't... I can't live like this. I'm not helping anyone. I'm not doing anything. If you can't tell me what to do..."  
Somewhere, in the dark, the smallest breath of life shone a blind amber.  
"Crash? ... Crash, where are you going..?"  
He called out weakly, but the hall had gone silent.  
  
///  
  
"What a wonderful destination.  
"Where am I now, I can no longer see?  
"Drop another pill just to kill me..." He swallowed the two allotted medication. Then two more. And two more. "Collapsed to my knees and fell fast into sleep.  
"And there I was," he looked at the blue liquid that rippled in its small container. Strong enough to tranquilize even the strongest of their ranks, enough to slow their system to an almost death-like state. "And there I was drifting  
"Way out into the sunshine  
"Expecting to crash but I'm tied to a string," he picked up the liquid, the syringe, "look at me," the medication emptied through the small needle, "I'm a tangled puppet. I might be a mess but I sure can survive." And he injected himself. And he sighed, tilting his head to gaze at the out of focus ceiling. "But I have escaped it... by pretending to die..."  
  
///  
  
"Wily-sama...." Freeze's quiet voice echoed in the foreboding room, ringing with a volume that's never made it's way passed his mouth before. "Wily-sama, there's a problem. Crash-" he cut himself off, trying to collect his thoughts. He wasn't particularly close to Crash, or to anyone other than Slash as it may be. But he had never, under any circumstance, believed he would have to explain a situation like this. And thus, had no idea how to continue.  
"What is it?" Wily grumbled. The med-bot ducked his head.  
"Crash is.... Crash is gone, sir." He bit his lip. It didn't seem like the proper word to him. He wasn't 'dead', per sae, because he was never actually alive. He just.... "He won't function." His ice eyes flickered slightly as he heard the subtle skip in the old human's typing. "He ODed on his medication and injected himself with stolen tranqs from medbay. He nearly stopped his circulation. His appendices are dried out, circuits are shot. Most of his databanks are wiped clean and everything in his main, back-up and memory chips have been encrypted to the disk in his central core. Those that didn't copy are damaged beyond repair. He's...." he frowned at the only choice of words he had. Because it makes it seem like he's still active.... Freeze thought. "He's refusing all activation commands."  
For a long moment there was no sound, just the clacking of typing fingers. It stretched to the point Freeze felt inclined to say something.  
"Get out."  
The bioroid looked up, surprised at the low voice. "Sir?"  
"Get out!" The command came out loud and sharp. Hastily, Freeze shot to his feet. Making a small bow, he hurried out of the room.  
Once his door had swooshed closed, Wily abruptly stopped his typing. Stiffly, as if his legs had forgotten how, he stood and walked to the door hidden in the dark corner of the lab. He strode swiftly passed the partly completed robot on the table, washed in bright lights and surrounded by knives and lasers. He barely gave it a passing glance as he went by, instead, going to the consoles along the wall.  
He stood before the main computer, hands held like a conductor, waiting for the muses to inspire him, to move his robotic opera further. But he did not move. In time, his hands began to tremble and he clenched his hands to fists and brought them down hard against the wall.  
Wily hunched against the bulkhead, body shaking. Teeth clenched, he refused the fear that crept on him, time twisting his will and body and mind.  
He would not submit.  
He would not fail.  
He would. Not. Die. 


End file.
